Driver’s medical emergency leads to passenger being dragged behind car

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A 44-year-old man was trauma-alerted to a local hospital on Friday after being dragged behind a vehicle near the intersection of E. University Avenue and Waldo Road; the 55-year-old driver of the vehicle suffered an unknown medical emergency and was stabilized at the scene.

At about 5:08 p.m. on October 17, law enforcement and fire rescue personnel responded to a report that a man had been dragged behind a vehicle; the 44-year-old man was trauma-alerted to a local hospital, but his injuries were found to be non-life-threatening.

According to a Gainesville Police Department spokesman, the 55-year-old driver of the vehicle suffered an unknown medical emergency, and the passenger recognized the driver’s condition and tried to get out of the vehicle. The driver attempted to hold the passenger in the vehicle, and the younger man was eventually dragged behind the vehicle. Rescue crews provided medical attention to the driver and stabilized him.